With a seven-point gap to close to the top of the La Liga table, Barcelona manager Xavi has not given up on defending his 2023 title, and he is planning to strengthen his hand in the January transfer window.
Reports have emerged in the UK press that the Barca boss is keen to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder Giovanni Lo Celso in January. The long-term injury to Gavi has made this position a priority for the Blaugrana, and the Spurs man only has 18 months left on his contract.
Lo Celso has impressed in recent appearances for the North London club, but his chances will be limited when James Maddison makes his return from injury.
Xavi is looking for backing from the Barca board, but it may be that he needs to arrange a swap deal and he has a number of options, with Oriol Romeu, Eric Garcia, and Pablo Torres all potential outgoers.
If there is not a deal to be done with Tottenham, then Barcelona may turn to Girona’s dominant midfielder Aleix Garcia. But if the club is not happy to meet Girona’s €20 million valuation, then a player exchange will be the solution.
26-year-old Garcia has been one of the standout players as Girona have emerged as potential title winners, and he has been one of the first names on the team sheet as the Catalans have posted an incredible set of La Liga 2023 results.
Garcia has been at the club since 2021, and his performances have earned him a full international call-up as he made his debut for Spain in 2023.
Starting as a defencive midfielder, he has pitched in with three goals and four assists, and now Garcia is recognised as one of the best box-to-box players in the Spanish top–flight.
Girona may be interested in a swap deal, but of the three players potentially on offer, as they may have competition for former Southampton star Romeu, who they bought from the Saints and who is reported to be on the radar of Getafe president Angel Torres.
The club needs a new midfielder after losing Mauro Arambarri to injury, and the president is a big admirer of Romeu’s combative style.
Barcelona may be happy to let him go, particularly if they can get Garcia, but another opportunity for the Blaugrana has just surfaced in the UK press.
Apparently, Premier League leaders Liverpool are happy to let Thiago Alcantara go. He’s a former Barca player having emerged at the club in the Pep Guardiola era, but he had his best days in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and he has been used as a squad player by Jurgen Klopp.
He’s a superb reader of the game with an amazing passing range, so Thiago could be just the player Barca need to up their game in the second half of the campaign.
Los Blancos’ goalie dilemma
Real Madrid and Girona are pulling away at the top of the league since they are locked together on 45 points and have a seven-point cushion over Atletico and Barcelona.
And while Girona’s challenge is to keep hold of their best players, Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti has a more complicated problem to wrestle with.
At the start of the campaign, he signed goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to replace the injured Thibaut Courtois, but the former Chelsea man picked up an injury himself, and that gave Andriy Lunin an opportunity. The Ukrainian took his chance with both hands, putting in a string of impressive performances.
Even when his number one recovered, Ancelotti stuck with Lunin, but he played Kepa in the last game before the break against Alaves.
If you want this SBOTOP writer’s opinion, I saw Kepa make some odd decisions, particularly in high-profile penalty shootouts, and I suspect Lunin is a more level character, which the league leaders will need. The La Liga 2023 betting odds say Los Blancos should win the title, and Lunin can play his part.
Across the road, Atletico Madrid have struggled to maintain momentum, but they picked up a 1-0 win over Sevilla to round of the La Liga programme before Christmas, and that was enough to nudge Barcelona out of third place in the league table.
The pick of the fixtures when the league restarts in 2024 is on Wednesday 3rd January in Catalonia, where Girona host Atletico, and that could be interesting as Los Rojiblancos are looking at three of the Catalans’ stars as they look to strengthen in January.
Girona have kept pace with Los Blancos, and they have ambitions to finish in the top for at least. But if their players have their heads turned by Atleti, things could be difficult. The Madrid giants are keen on Barca target Garcia, as well as striker Artem Dovbyk and highly-rated defender Arnau Martinez. Any of these players would strengthen Atletico’s slim title hopes, but their departure could derail Girona.
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